Buckle



P. W. WHITE July 6, 1965 BUCKLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2l, 1962 INV ENTOR. PAUL M4 WH/TE BY Maa-w, /Kon ,4 Tra/awe Ys P. W. WHITE July 6, 1965 BUCKLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1962 A 0 Jp! *4 +5 l BY ATTORNEYS P. W. WHITE July 6, 1965 BUCKLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 2l, 1962 INVENTOR PA UL VV. W/-J/ TE 541112515!!! Ill i iii 5.... i..

United States Patent O 3,12,5S BUCKLE Paul W. White, New Haven, Qonn., assigner to igarva hired-nets Qompany, Mio-unt Carmel, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Fiied heb. 2i, 19252, der. No. 1P/'5,754 2 Claims. (Cl. 24F-Zut?) This invention relates to one-piece lingerie buckles and, more particularly, to a one-piece buckle suitable for use with a lingerie shoulder strap and the like.

In the lingerie field two types of buckles are presently in use, i.e., a slide buckle and a one-piece buckle. Generally, buckles of both of these types are iixedly secured to one end of a garment strap or tab which has its other end attached to the lingerie garment. An adjustable strap connected to the garment is threaded through the buckle to provide for shortening or lengthening of the shoulder strap.

In the manufacture of lingerie garments such as slips and the like, it is desirable that the supporting tabs for the garment be attached to the garment with a buckle already threaded on the xed tab. This is desirable since it is much easier to thread a buckle on a tab separately than it is to thread a buckle on a tab which is attached to a cumbersome garment. It is also desirable that the buckle be threaded on the tab and retained thereon with sutlicient firmness so that the buckle will not rip oliE inadvertently during handling operations. One difficulty heretofore experienced with many commonly available buckles is that the tab is not retained on the buckle with sufficient rmness to prevent inadvertent removal thereof during handling operations and yet be suticiently movable to provide for adjustment or alignment relative to the buckle before the strap is secured to the garment. Moreover, with prior commonly available buckles, difficulty has been experienced in preventing the tab from bunching up or gathering on one side oi the buckle causing difficulty in adjusting the buckle for the desired length as well as discomfort to the wearer of the garment. One prior buckle which overcomes many of the aforementioned disadvantages is disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 97,328, filed March 2l, 1961, now Patent Number 3,035,308.

The attachment of a separate tab to a buckle not only requires handling, manufacturing, and assembling time and expense, but additionally must necessarily be subjected to some extent to ditiiculties in holding, positioning and adjusting the tab.

Moreover, of theV various one-piece lingerie buckles on the market today, several have been developed which snugly bind the adjustable strap to the buckle when tension is applied between the garment and the adjustable strap. in several instances, however, after an extended period of use, the buckle slides or moves gradually relative to the adjustable strap, thereby requiring readjustment of the strap and buckle to the annoyance of the user. In other one-piece buckles no slippage is produced during ordinary use but when an abrupt tensive force resulting from laborious work or excessive exercise is applied between the garment and the adjustable strap, the buclde slips along the adjustable strap. in other words, the buckle fails to hold the strap during a so-called jerk test.

Lingerie buckles are manufactured and used in large quantities and it is necessary that they be produced at a very low cost in order to be competitive on the market. Not only is it necessary that the manufacturing cost of the buckle itself be competitive in price,'but it is necesice.

sary that the expense of assembling the buckle to a garment provide an overall saving.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved lingerie buckle.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved lingerie buckle having a combined integral tab for the xed strap.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved lingerie buckle formed of mol-ded plastic material and the like and which is provided with an integrally formed tab which may be stitched directly to a garment.

A further object or the present invention is to provide a new and improved lingerie buckle formed or molded plastic material and the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved lingerie buckle which is comfortable to the wearer when bearing against the esh.

A. further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved lingerie buckle which-securely iixes the adjustable strap against slippage.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved lingerie buckle which may be economically manufactured and assembled with a garment.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this speciiication.

Brieliy-stated, according to the present invention, there is provided a unitary one-piece buckle formed of molded plastic material such as nylon or Delrin and having side bars interconnected by end and intermediate crossbars. @ne of the end crossbars is adapted for connection to the garment by being provided with integrally formed tabs capable ot being stitched to a garment. The adjustable strap or tape of the garment support is threaded past the other end crossbar and around the intermediate crossbar, the intermediate crossbar being offset relative to the edge of the end crossbar so that the adjustable strap bends around the corner of this end crossbar. The offset center bar is intended to protrude against the esh of the wearer of the garment. rthe end crossbar is built up to a height slightly above the center crossbar so that when the strap is threaded around the center crossbar, a substantially smooth surface is presented to the nesh. Moreover, according to another embodiment of the invention, the end crossbar is built up in both directions so that the buckle is reversible. Additionally, according to yet another eirbodiment of the invention, the end crossbar may be pro-.

vided with a ledge extending toward the intermediate crossbar and the intermediate crossbar may be split to provide better gripping of the strap. By building the end crossbar up to the height slightly above the center bar, the top of the adjustable tape covering the intermediate bar is substantially in the same plane as the front of the end crossbar, thus making a smoother surface of buckle and tape assembly against the esh. Moreover, the end crossbar may bel formed in the cross-sectional shape of a sector of a circle, so that there is a soft, rounded plastic bar plus the center bar covered with thetape on the same plane against the flesh, with two or three times the area of the tape alone. Accordingly, there is provided a very comfortable buckle for the wearer.

rThe nature of the invention will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a perspective view of an improved lingerie buckle according to the present invention;

FlG. 2 is a perspective view of the improved buckle of FIG. 1 illustrating the threading of the adjustable strap through the buckle and additionally illustrating the attachment of the buckle to a garment illustrated in phantom;

FG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the buckle of 2, taken along line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FG. 4 is a front elevational view of a threaded buckle illustrating the attachment thereof to a garment;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the-buckle and garment combination of FIG. 4, taken along line 5 5 of FIG. 4;

FiG. 6 is a front elevational view of a buckle illustrating another method of attachment thereof to a garment;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the lingerie buckle and garment combination illustrated in FlG. 6, and taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a buckle and garment combination illustrating yet another method of attachment of the buckle to the garment;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional View of the buckle and garment combination of FIG. 8, `and taken along line 9-9 of FlG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of lanother embodiment of a buckle according to the present invention;

FIG. l1 is a perspective view of the combination of the buckle according to the embodiment of FIG. l0 and an adjustable strap threaded therethrough;

FIG. l2 is a cross-sectional view of the strap and buck-1e combination of FIG. 1l taken along line 12-12 thereof, and drawn to a larger scale;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary view of a buckle and belt combination according to yct another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of an improved buckle according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a buckle and adjustable strap combination, illustrating a buckle according to the embodiment of FIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary viewrof an improved buckle illustrating a modilied form of integral tab.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to the buckle and strap combination illustrated in FGS. l through 3, there is illustrated an improved one-piece buckle 2t) formed of resilient plastic material such as nylon or Delrin by any suitable process as by molding. The one-piece buckle 2? includes a buckle portion 21 and a tab portion 22,. to be assembled with lan adjustable strap 23, one portion of which is connected to a garment, while the tab portion 22 serves for attachment directly to a garment, fragmentarily illustrated in phantom as 24. The buckle is adapted to bear against the tlesh of a wearer, illustrated in phantom as 2S in FIG. 3, with the portion of the strap 23 threaded through the buckle portion 21 bearing against the flesh.

To provide for adjustably securing the threaded adjustable strap 23, the buckle portion 2?. includes a pair of side bars and 31 interconnected by a pair of end or lower and upper crossbars 32 and 33 extending from adjacent ends of the side bars 3@ and 31, and additionally an intermediate crossbar 34 interconnecting the side bars 3@ land 3l. intermediate the end crossbars and 33.

For the purpose of threading .the adjustable strap around the intermediate crossb-ar 34, the intermediate crossbar 34 is spaced from the lower end crossbar 32 to form a strap slot 36 therebetween and additionally the intermediate crossbar 34 is spaced from the upper end crossbar 33 to form a strap slot 37. The lower crossbar 32 is generally .rectangular in cross section, while the upper end crossbar 33 has a cross-sectional shape in the form of an acute sector of a circle with one side surface 33a. thereof lying `in a common plane with one The buckle portion 2.11 is adapted side surface 32a of the lower crossbar 32. The intermediate crossbar 34 is displaced inwardly from the common plane of the side surfaces 32a and 33a. Moreover, since the upper end crosshar 33 is in the form of `an acute sector of a circle, the slot 37 is of the shape ot a frustum of an obtuse prism, with an acute dihedral angle 33h being formed at the apex of the sector disposed toward the lower end crossbar. yioreover, the upper end crossbar 33 is provided with a rounded upper and inner surface 33C built up to extend slightly beyond the projection of the intermediate crossbar 34 so that, as hereinafter more fully explained, when the strap 23 is threaded around the intermediate crossbar34, the inner surface of the built-up upper end crossbar 33 is substantially in -a plane with the inner surface of the strap and provides `a smooth large bearing area against the flesh 25 of the wearer of the garment.

The adjustable strap 23 is threaded around the buckle 29 by first threading past the side surface 33a of the upper crossbar 33 around the apex 33b thereof, around the protruding intermediate crossbar 34, and then doubled back around the apex 33h of the upper crossbar 33 over the rst portion of the strap 23 and then up the side surface 33a thereof so that ltension on the end 23a of the strap 23 is effective to resiliently deform the intermediate crossbar 34 `and to clamp the free end 23b of the strap 23 against the upper crossbar 33 to firmly grip and hold the strap 23 against slippage under all conditions of use.

in laccordance with another feature of the invention, the buckle 2d is provided with the tab portion 22 formed of thin plastic material such as nylon which is capable of receiving a stitch so as to be directly sewed -to a garment or a supporting tab. The tab portion 22, as illustrated, consists of a sheet or strap or" molded nylon of a thickness in the range of ten-thousandths of an inch. At such thicknesses, the tab portion 22 will readily receive a stitch -as more fully illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 9, inclusive.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the buckle 2t); according lto the present inventionand provided with the tab portion 22, is directly att-ached to the garment 24 by sewing the tab portion 22 directly to the garment 24 by a plurality of conventional stitches 4t).

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, the buckle Ztl provided with the tab portion 22 is secured to the garment 24 through an intermediate cloth or web type tab strap 41, which tab strap 41 is secured to the tab portion 22 of the buckle 20 by sewing directly thereto as by the stitches 42, and the strap 41 in turn is secured to the garment 24 by sewing in a conventional manner as by stitching 43.

According to the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9, the improved buckle 2t? is secured to the garment by a somewhat conventionally appearing tab 44 which is threaded around the lower crossbar 32 and which is thereafter ixedly secured to the buckle 20 by stitching to the tab portion 22 `as by the conventional stitching 45. The ends of lthe strap 44 are then attached to opposite sides of the garment 24 by sewing as illustrated by the conventional stitching 46.

FIGS. 10 to 12, inclusive, illustrate another embodiment of a buckle and of a buckle and adjustable strap combination according to the present invention. As therein illustrated, there is provided a unitary one-piece buckle Si) molded of suitable plastic material such as Delrin or nylon, and including a buckle portion 51 and a tab portion 52. An adjustable str-ap 23 is threaded through lthe buckle and the tab portion 52 thereof is adapted to be attached directly to a portion of a garment (not shown). To form the buckle portion 51, there is provided a pair of side bars and 61 interconnected by ya lower end crossbar 62 and an upper end crossbar 63. The lower end crossbar 62 is generally rectangular in form while the upper end Ycrossbar 63 has the general shape of the segment of a circle, each having respective side surfaces 62a and 63a thereof lying in a common plane. Additionally, there is provided an intermediate crossbar 64 interconnecting the upper and lower crossbars 63 and 62 to form strap slots 66 and 67. Moreover, as heretofore described, the intermediate crossbar 64 is displaced from the common plane of the side surfaces 62a and 63a inwardly of the buckle.

Although the lower surface of the upper end crossbar 63 is somewhat larcuate in shape, as illustrated at 63b, the strap slot 66 is generally perpendicular to the plane of the buckle 50. Moreover, the upper crossbar 63 is provided with an apex 63e projecting toward the lower crossbar 62 of somewhat acute dihedral configuration. Moreover, the upper crossbar 63 is provided with an inner and upper surface of generally arcuate crosssectional configuration; and the upper crossbar 63 projects slightly beyond the -intermediate crossbar 64 so that when the strap 23 is threaded in the buckle Sti, the inner edge 63d of the upper crossbar 63 and an inner surface 23d of the strap 23 lie substantially in a plane which may bear against the fiash of the wearer of the garment.

It will be appreciated that the tab portion 52 may take on a plurality of different configurations which may be stitched by conventional sewing methods; as herein illustrated, the tab portion 52 is formed of a web '76 of thin plastic material, for example, which may be in the range of ten one-thousandths of an inch thick and is provided with a bead 71 at its lower or free end of somewhat greater thickness than the web 70. `It will be appreciated that the tab portion 52 may be secured to a garment in similar manner to the buckle Z0 described above.

rihe strap 23 is threaded through the buckle 54B in identical manner as described in connection with the embodiments of FIGS. 1 through 9, and accordingly need not be herein described in detail. However, it will be appreciated that the sharp, somewhat acute dihedral apex 63e of the upper end crossbar 63 serves to deform and grip the strap 23 firmly and securely. Moreover, the protruding front surface 63d of the upper crossbar 63 and the forward portion 23d of the strap 23 provide a relatively smooth uniform surface to bear against the iiesh of a user.

lt has been found tha-t if the upper crossbar of the buckle portion is made to protrude in both directions, the buckle may be used interchangeably in either direction without concerning oneself with the front or back of the buckle. Such an arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 13 wherein a buckle Si) is illustrated having a buckle portion S1 and a tab portion 32 fragmentarily illustrated as integrally formed therewith. The buckle portion $1 includes a pair of side bars, only one of which, 83, is herein illustrated. The side bars are interconnected by a lower, generally rectangular end crossbar 341 and an upper end crossbar 8S. T he upper end crossbar 85 is provided with projections 85a and 85h extending on both sides of the plane of the buckle; i.e., to both sides of the side bar S3. Moreover, the buckle 81D is provided with an intermediate crossbar 86 lying in the plane of the buckle and which forms a first strap slot S7 with the lower crossbar S4 and a second strap slot S3 with the upper crossbar S5, A strap 91 is threaded through the buckle 8i? in identical manner with that heretofore described. lt will be appreciated that one of the projections 85a which extends beyond the forward surface of the intermediate crossbar 86 serves to form a bearing surface substantially aligned with the forward portion 91a of the strap 91 to bear against the flesh of the user of the garment. At the same time, another of the projections Sib on the upper crossbar 35 serves to offset the strap 91 in like manner as though the bar 36 were offset from the plane of the buckle and, accordingly, to provide a somewhat acute dihedral angle 85C which serves to deform and thereby grip and secure the belt 91. lt will be appreciated that an identical dihedral angle 85d is formed on the other side of the upper crossbar 85 and that the projection h extends beyond the intermediate crossbar 86 identically with the projection 85a so that the buckle Si) may be used without regard to the front or back thereof.

Yet another embodiment of the buckle according to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15- As therein illustrated, there is shown a buckle 160 having a buckle portion 161 and a tab portion 102. The buckle portion 1131 includes a pair of side bars 103 and 104 interconnected by a lower end crossbar 1G15 and an upper end crossbar 106. Moreover, the Vbuckle portion 191 is provided with intermediate crossbar means 110, in the form of a split bar formed of two bar projections :1 and lltlb and displaced to one side of the side bars 103 and 15M so as to be offset to a plane formed by coplanar side surfaces 16541 and 166e on the crossbars 105 and 106, respectively, of the buckle 1019. The upper crossbar 106 is additionally provided with a lodge web extending downwardly toward the intermediate crossbar means 110. In this manner there is a first strap slot 111 formed between the ledge 1G61; and the intermediate crossbar means 11) and a second strap slot 112 is formed between the intermediate crossbar means 110 and the lower crossbar 165. The upper crossbar 106 additionally is formed with a cross section in the general shape of a sector of a circle, as heretofore described, so that a front portion 106e thereof projects beyond a forward surface 11Go of the intermediate crossbar means 119 so that when a strap 113 is threaded in the buckle 101i in the manner heretofore described and illustrated in FIG. 15, the forward edge of the upper crossbar 166e and the forward portion 113a of the strap 113 lie substantially in a plane thereby to bear against the flesh of a wearer of the garment with increased bearing area. Moreover, the offsetting of the intermediate crossbar means 110 from the plane formed by the coplanar surfaces 105a and 1t6a provides a corner 136x! against which the strap 113 bears, thereby to clinch and secure the strap in the buckle portion 101.

It will be appreciated that the tab portion 162 may be secured to a garment in a marmer heretofore described. Additionally, to better secure a tab around the lower crossbar 10S, the lower crossbar 105, if desired, may be provided with an upwardly extending projection 115 extending intermediate its ends to deform a t-ab threaded around the lower crossbar 195. Of course, when the tab portion 102 is stitched directly to a strap or to a garment, the upward projection 11S is not necessary.

The tab section of the buckle attached to a garment may take any desirable shape and, in fact, could be made to look like lace or other variously shaped designs. FIG. 16 fragmentarily illustrates a buckle 120 having a buckle portion illustrated fragrnentarily at 121 and a tab portion 122 of generally U-shaped formed of thin plastic and adapted to have its bight portion 122e attached to a strap or garment by stitching directly through the bight portion 12201 thereof.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been described by Way of illustration, many modi tications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore intendedv in the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A unitary buckle for a garment having an adjustable strap wherein one side tof the buckle is adapted to bear against the skin of the wearer of said garment comprising a pair of spaced apart side bars, a pair of spaced apart upper and lower end crossbars interconnecting the ends of said side bars, an intermediate crossbar interconnecting said side bars intermediate their ends and defining upper and lower strap receiving slots between said upper and lower end crossbars respectively, and thin tab means integrally formed with said lower end crossbar extending downwardly therefrom and adapted to be attached to said garment, said upper end cross bar having a first surface adapted to bear against the skin of said wearer, said intermediate crosshar having a iirst surface opposing the skin of said wearer spaced outwardly therefrom an amount substantially equal to the thickness of said strap whereby said strap when threaded thru said slots around said intermediate crosshar presents an outer surface adapted to bear against the skin of the wearer and lying in a common plane with said surface of said upper end crossbar.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said upper end crossbar is provided with a second surface opposing said rst surface thereon and said intermediate crossbar is provided with a second outer surface opposing said surface thereon, said second outer surface on said intermediate crossbar being spaced inwardly from said second surface on said upper end crossbar an amount substantially equal to the thickness of said strap.

CII

D u References Cited by the Examiner UNTED STATES PATENTS 7/20 Colter 24-73 6/25 Mancuso et a1. 36-50 5/32 Bronson 24-198 5/40 Gaines 24-194 2/44 White 24-198 4/49 Roehrl 24-206 7/55 Anderson 24198 5/6() Rapata 24-206 X EOREGN PATENTS 3/ 39 Germany. 1/ 62 Great Britain.

DONLEY I. STGCKING, Primary Examiner.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Examiner. 

1. A UNITARY BUCKLE FOR A GARMENT HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE STRAP WHEREIN ONE SIDE OF THE BUCKLE IS ADAPTED TO BEAR AGAINST THE SKIN OF THE WEARER OF SAID GARMENT COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED APART SIDE BARS, A PAIR OF SPACED APART UPPER AND LOWER END CROSSBARS INTERCONNECTING THE ENDS OF SAID SIDE BARS AN INTERMEDIATE CROSSBAR INTERCONNECTING SAID SIDE BARS INTERMEDIATE THEIR ENDS AND DEFINING UPPER AND LOWER STRAP RECEIVING SLOTS BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER END CROSSBARS RESPECTIVELY, AND THIN TAB MEANS INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH SAID LOWER END CROSSBAR EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM AND ADAPTED TO BE ATTACHED TO SAID GARMENT, SAID UPPER END CROSS BAR HAVING A FIRST SURFACE ADAPTED TO BEAR AGAINST THE SKIN OF SAID WEARER, SAID INTERMEDIATE CROSSBAR HAVING A FIRST SURFACE OPPOSING THE SKIN OF SAID WEARER SPACED OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AN AMOUNT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE THICKNESS OF SAID STRAP WHEREBY SAID STRAP WHEN THREADED THRU SAID SLOTS AROUND SAID INTERMEDIATE CROSSBAR PRESENTS AN OUTER SURFACE ADAPTED TO BEAR AGAINST THE SKIN OF THE WEARER AND LYING IN A COMMON PLANE WITH SAID SURFACE OF SAID UPPER END CROSSBAR. 